NEW YORK - Longtime U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Burton R. Lifland of the Southern District of New York, who presided over several landmark cases, including Johns-Manville Corp.'s asbestos bankruptcy and the liquidation of the Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC estate following Madoff's Ponzi...

ST. LOUIS - The Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Jan. 13 affirmed a bankruptcy court's ruling that a debtor was not entitled to claim a homestead exemption for his property because he no longer lived there and had no intention of moving back (William Paul Jr. v. Forrest C. Allred $(In Re:...

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A U.S. magistrate judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee on Jan. 14 ruled that a judgment creditor who wanted to credit-bid on the assets of a bankrupt property management is permitted to do so (Robert T. Stooksbury Jr. v. Michael L. Ross, No. 09-498...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Roman Catholic Bishop of Stockton, Calif., the official name of the Diocese of Stockton, on Jan. 15 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing debts ranging from $10 million to $50 million related to paying victims of sexual abuse by priests (In Re: The Roman Catholic Bishop of...

WILMINGTON, Del. - The adult entertainment company that produces material carrying the name "Penthouse" on Jan. 13 filed a brief in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware contending that claims asserted against its bankruptcy estate by its former financial adviser for $3,430...

WILMINGTON, Del. - Former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Curt Schilling and his business partners in bankrupt video game company 38 Studios LLC on Jan. 15 filed a brief in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware objecting to the trustee's motion seeking approval to waive attorney...

NEW YORK - The federal bankruptcy judge presiding over the Chapter 11 case of Pulp Finish 1 Co., formerly the Journal Register Co. (JRC), denied a creditor's motion to reconsider the order confirming the company's reorganization and denied the creditor's contention that the company's...

LOS ANGELES - The trustee in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy case of GGW Brands LLC, the parent of the adult entertainment company that produces videos carrying the name "Girls Gone Wild," on Jan. 16 filed a status report in which he says he is pursuing a "prompt" asset sale process in...

DETROIT - A group of creditors in the Chapter 9 bankruptcy of the City of Detroit, which includes the union representing city employees and retirees, on Jan. 16 filed a brief objecting to the city's opposition to a motion filed by a group seeking to assess the art collection at the Detroit Institute...

NEW YORK - The liquidating trust for Residential Capital LLC (ResCap) on Jan. 15 moved in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York for an order approving a settlement agreement among ResCap's bankrupt affiliate, Residential Funding Co. LLC (RFC) and CTX Mortgage Co., Pulte...

BOSTON - A divided panel of the First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Jan. 16 ruled that two property developers had a secured interest in the real property of a bankrupt timeshare, over objections raised by the bank that financed the project (ScotiaBank de Puerto Rico v. Joseph Burgos $(In Re: The...

WILMINGTON, Del. - A creditor in the Chapter 15 bankruptcy of Irish Bank Resolution Corp. Ltd. (IBRC) on Jan. 20 filed a brief in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware objecting to the sale of certain bank assets on grounds that IBRC owes it $27 million and that the motion to sell assets...

RICHMOND, Va. - A panel of the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Jan. 17 reversed a district court ruling that held that a debtor owed $631,050.52 in restitution related to his bankruptcy fraud, concluding that the government failed to show the debtor's lack of truthfulness in his bankruptcy...

DETROIT - The union representing the employees of the bankrupt City of Detroit on Jan. 20 filed a brief in the adversary proceeding filed by the Official Committee of Retirees of the City of Detroit against the city, arguing that the emergency manager put in charge of the city's bankruptcy lacks...

NEW YORK - A federal judge in New York on Jan. 17 issued a brief order denying Jon S. Corzine's motion for dismissal of the securities lawsuit filed against him for his role in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of MF Global Holdings Ltd. (MFGH), finding his objection to be "without merit" (Joseph...

NEW YORK - A potential stalking horse bidder in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of Lightsquared Inc. on Jan. 21 filed a brief in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York objecting to the Ad Hoc Secured Group of Lightsquared LP Lenders' (Ad Hoc Group) contention that the bidder was...

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The bankrupt City of San Bernardino on Jan. 21 filed a status report regarding progress in a mediation process governing a plan of adjustment of debts, saying that negotiations are being held while the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) appeals to the Ninth...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A group of insurance companies and financial institutions on Jan. 22 filed a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court arguing that it should not grant certiorari to an unsecured creditors committee that contends that 11 U.S. Code Section 546(e) permits it to recover transfers made by a debtor...

DETROIT - The federal bankruptcy judge presiding over the Chapter 9 case of the City of Detroit on Jan. 22 issued a one-page order denying a motion by some of the city's creditors who sought the appointment of a committee to assess the value of the art collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts...

WILMINGTON, Del. - A creditor of bankrupt alternative energy company Abound Solar Manufacturing LLC on Jan. 22 moved in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware to oppose the trustee's motion to approve a settlement with the company's insurer for $2.2 million that would resolve...

NEW YORK - The trustee in the liquidation of MF Global Inc. (MFGI), the customer investment affiliate of MF Global Holdings Ltd (MFGH), on Jan. 23 moved in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York for an order allowing general creditor claims for 33 investment brokers for the total...

WILMINGTON, Del. - The federal bankruptcy judge presiding over the Chapter 7 bankruptcy of 38 Studios, the video game manufacturer operated by former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Curt Schilling and some business partners, on Jan. 23 granted a limited waiver of attorney-client and work product...

PHILADELPHIA - A split panel of the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Jan. 24 affirmed a ruling that the claims of personal injury plaintiffs against a debtor company belonged to the bankruptcy estate (In re: Emoral Inc., No. 13-1467, Chapter 11, 3rd Cir.).

PHILADELPHIA - National Medical Imaging LLC (NMI) on May 27 filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania seeking $50 million in damages against U.S. Bank NA, contending that the bank wrongfully filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition against NMI and its affiliate...